The present invention relates to a wireless communication device, and, more particularly, is directed to a wireless communication device which screens incoming calls according to information stored therein and which exercises limited control over a wireless communication network in accordance with the screening list.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,473,671 (Partridge, III) is directed to a system which maintains a list of caller identities and the type of call treatment that an incoming call to a cellular telephone should receive based on the identity of the caller. The list may be stored in the telephone company""s switching facilities or in the subscriber""s wireline telephone system. If an incoming call is acceptable, it is forwarded to the cellular telephone. Otherwise, the caller is offered the option to pay for the call. An incoming call may acquire different status in response to an interaction between the calling party and the system.
The call may be treated differently depending on the whether the called party is at a cellular telephone.
A subscriber to the service described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,473,671 uses an interactive voice response system to add or remove telephone numbers from the subscriber""s list via voice recognition or telephone key entry.
While the above-described system is useful, it lacks flexibility in handling certain calls. It is also cumbersome for the subscriber to maintain the subscriber""s list.
In accordance with an aspect of this invention, a cellular telephone includes a memory for storing a screening list specifying calling party numbers and associated call handling, and a processor for responding to an incoming call in accordance with the screening list.
The call handling may depend on the location of the cellular telephone, the calling party name, the time of day at which the incoming call is received, the day of the week at which the incoming call is received, or may be specified on a call-by-call basis.
A portion of the calling party number may be specified in the screening list as a wildcard.
The screening list can be generated by a subscriber using a personal computer and is delivered to the cellular telephone via a wireless communication channel.
In accordance with another aspect of this invention, a method for providing a screening list for a cellular telephone specifying calling party numbers and associated call handling comprises receiving the screening list from a communication network, and delivering the screening list to the cellular telephone via a wireless communication channel.
It is not intended that the invention be summarized here in its entirety. Rather, further features, aspects and advantages of the invention are set forth in or are apparent from the following description and drawings.